iPhone OS 4.0 round up

And just like that, iPhone OS 4.0 has brought the iPhone’s email capabilities into the bright and shiny world of 2006. No longer will users be forced to suffer the indignity of checking each of their inboxes individually, as global inboxes are now a part of Apple’s vision for the iPhone… as is thee ability to sort emails by threads and open attachments in specific apps.

Enterprise

People that use their iPhone for both work and pleasure are likely jumping for joy this afternoon as iPhone OS 4.0 supports multiple Exchange accounts. Not only that, but Apple has moved beyond the year 2007 and now supports Exchange Server 2010. Last but not least, data protection has received a much needed shot in the arm with: mobile device management, wireless ad-hoc app distribution, and SSL VPN support.

iBooks

iBooks on the iPhone work pretty much the same way as on the iPad. You buy your books through the iBookstore and can sync them across whatever portable Apple devices you own. Your bookmarks are wirelessly synchronized across your array of iThings so all of you’ll always be able to find the last page you read in The Wind Up Bird Chronicles. Oh, and you get a free copy of Winnie the Pooh. Sweetness.

Game Center

Can you believe that Apple now has its very own hodgepodge clone of Xbox Live and the Playstation Network? We bet Nintendo can, and they’re scared poopless because the Game Center offers services like: leaderboards, game achievements, and the ability to make and keep tabs on friends. And in the event you don’t have all that many friends but want to play a multiplayer game, Game Center will scan the network for people of a comparable ability and you’ll be able to do battle on a level playing field.

iAd

iPhone users rack up 1 billion impressions a day from searches alone, and Apple is hungry to make some cash off of this for itself… and for its developers as well. Basically what the new system does is analyze what you’re currently doing on your iPhone and suggests apps that will be the most appealing to you. So if you’re looking at entertainment news, you’ll see an ad for Toy Story 3. Boring, right? Wrong. Apple is desperate for you to click on these ads, so they’ve thrown in a pretty insane twist. Most of them lead to interactive games and videos and they’re all built on HTML5 (shots fired!) The ad revenue will be split, 60% to the developer, 40% to Apple.